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When you take the corners of an oval track at top speed for a living, you're putting a lot of trust in your tires. And for NASCAR drivers --who do exactly that in race after race and practice after practice-- it also means trusting that your pit crew has those tires properly inflated and checked for wear. A blowout at high speed not only puts the driver's life in danger; an out-of-control car threatens the safety of every driver on the track.

And when the rest of us are driving to the grocery store or taking a road trip with our kids in the back seat, we're also trusting their safety and the safety of everyone on the road to our tires. But, we don't have a pit crew to make sure our tires are properly inflated and the tread is healthy.

In 2011, President Obama directed federal agencies to reduce out-of-date, ineffective or overly-burdensome rules on the private sector. He challenged us to do better by America's businesses --to cut red tape and waste-- and today, DOT is delivering big on that challenge with a new rule that eliminates unnecessary paperwork for our nation's trucking industry, without compromising safety.

On New Year's Day in 1914, the first commercial airplane flight took off between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. It flew only 21 miles and carried only one paying passenger, but it launched the world's first scheduled commercial airline service. One airline, one flight, one passenger.

In 2014, a typical day now sees 100,000 flights carrying eight million passengers, and some of those flights cover thousands of miles. It's a far cry from the world of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Bay Airboat Line.

The world's aviation community is now synonymous with jobs, with economic growth, and with world trade. The world as we know it would not function without a healthy, vibrant, and regulated international aviation system. And that system would not be possible without the work of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)...

In Maine last week, within a day of each other, two events occurred that add up to one compelling argument for investing in America's transportation system.

One was resoundingly positive --the opening of the new Maine Kennebec Bridge-- and I was happy to observe that celebration firsthand on Friday. The other event --Thursday's collapse of a section of the Eastport Pier-- caused at least one injury and damage to several vessels and a truck.

The pier's collapse and the ongoing demand for the limited funding available to rebuild roads and bridges in Maine and across America are a clear demonstration of how we've starved our nation's transportation infrastructure for far too long...

Of all the responsibilities we have at the Department of Transportation, none is more important than protecting the lives of the traveling public. Nowhere do we lose more lives than on our nation’s highways where more than 30,000 of our citizens and loved ones perish each year.

As part of our mission to improve highway safety, our Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is charged with regulating the number of hours truck drivers may operate to ensure that they are not driving while fatigued. When we develop those rules, we are required and duty-bound to use the best science available to us...

As readers of the Fast Lane know, transportation is about a lot more than just how we get from one point to another. Transportation is, what President Obama likes to call, a ladder of opportunity. It helps people reach better jobs and better schools, which means they can reach for –and seize– a better life.

That's especially true on Tribal Lands.

DOT is committed to working with tribal communities to build the roads, bridges, and transit systems they need. And we've got a number of programs that are doing just that...

In April, General Motors (GM) recalled more than two million vehicles: all 2003-2007 Saturn IONs, 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHRs, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5s, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstices, and 2007-2010 Saturn Skys. The vehicles were made with faulty ignition switches that create a danger of airbags not deploying during a crash. In some vehicles, the switch could cause the engine to shut off while driving.

As the 2014 navigation season marches along on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, shipping volumes are generally outpacing last year's levels. That's a good sign because six Great Lakes Seaway System ports have already received a Pacesetter Award this year for increasing international cargo tonnage during the 2013 shipping season. They might well be on their way to taking home another award next year!

We award the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter when a port increases its international freight volume over the previous year. The 2014 awardees for their 2013 performance are:

Around the country, communities are seeking creative approaches to integrating entrepreneurship, environmental management, public health, and other place-based considerations into successful economic planning. Local food development can be one strategy.

The White House Rural Council and six federal agencies have selected 26 communities to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative providing direct technical support and expertise to community partners integrating local food systems into regional economic action plans. Under this effort, a team of federal agricultural, transportation, environmental, public health, and regional economic experts will work directly with communities to develop specific local food projects. These efforts will make a significant impact in the communities participating in the Local Foods, Local Places initiative...

Because our servicemen and women ensure our nation’s safety and security, it is important that we recognize their sacrifice, dedication, and professionalism. However, we owe them much more than recognition; we owe them --and they deserve-- opportunity!

Both the Maritime Administration and the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) understand this. As a veteran myself, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to talk with other veterans in person when I speak at the 4th installment of the AMP’s “Military2Maritime” program tomorrow in New Orleans.

The program’s goal is to connect veterans and transitioning active duty personnel with jobs in America's thriving maritime industry, and so far it’s been a rousing success...

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